Poppi

We eat Kosy Shack all the time and have never had a problem.

I personally chose not to get an "official diagnosis" for a coupe of reasons.

The biggest one was that I felt great after being gluten free for a month and there was no way i was doing the gluten challenge.

The other one was that I do not currently have life or critical illness insurance and I am pretty sure an official celiac diagnosis would make that difficult to obtain.

I will be 35 in a few days and was just diagnosed in April. I can remember being sick as far back as age 4 and 5 and my health had really deteriorated over the past couple of years to the point where I was facing being in a scooter by 40 at the latest.

My stomach pain, nausea and fatigue started to go away immediately. I still have a time in the afternoon when I am really tired and need to put on a movie for the kids and rest but other than that I feel like a new person. I am kayaking and hiking every week, regaining an intimate relationship with my hubby, taking my kids to playgroups and other stuff I haven't done in years if ever.

My joint pain has decreased by at least 80%, my energy is great, I am sleeping without pills for the first time in a few years, my skin rashes were gone within a few weeks.

Life isn't perfect but I am personally amazed at how fast I healed.

I lost 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks and then stabilized at 129. After years and years of my weight swinging wildly between 125 and 150 it hasn't budged in 3 months now.

bah, why risk it? Can't you just learn to make them at home? XD

I generally am perfectly happy making everything I want at home but in this case hubby and I were out of town, we had been walking in the hot sun for a few hours and I thought it would be nice to have a cold drink at the Starbucks we saw. No dice. Oh well, no great loss.

You are not alone. My doctor refuses to acknowledge that I have a gluten problem. She wants me to do a 4 month gluten challenge and do testing despite the fact that all the health problems she has been treating me for for years are gone now that I am gluten free. Whatever, I don't need her permission to be gluten free.

The only thing that bothers me is that she refused to test my kids unless I agreed to be tested too so I wound up just making my kids gluten free anyway.

I go to a friend's house once a week and have tea made in her K-cup machine. So far I haven't had any reaction from it.

I haven't tried the hamburger buns yet because they are so expensive (I can get them for $7/4) but I've bought the hot dog buns several times now ($6/6) and I love them.

My dentist did have a gluten free flouride but it wasn't their usual one so you need to ask and read the ingredients for yourself.

The root canal/filling materials are fine but if you are getting a cleaning at some point the cleaning stuff might not be. They use a mixture of pumice and Tom's of Maine toothpaste when they clean my teeth because the regular cleaning paste has gluten.

This one doesn't have bread in the bottom but I love it. We usually use bacon and the veggies are easily customizable based on what's around. My family likes sauteed mushrooms and chopped up red bell peppers, no onions.

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Oh Genovieve, I wish I could give you a big hug. You sound so sad right now.

I can tell you that it gets better though. You can still get married, have babies, eat great food and be happy. It takes time to regain your strength, rechart your life and get back on track but you can do it.

I lost 3 babies to miscarriages and dealt with years of infertility. I do have 3 children of my own to show for those 13 years of trying but it was a hard road. If I had been diagnosed with celiac before we started building our family my life might have been very different. In some ways you are lucky to be armed with this knowledge before you start trying to conceive. I know how awful it is to want babies so bad and if feels like you are surrounded by pregnant women.

While you are dealing with the poisoning just be gentle with yourself. Rest, drink tea, do things that make you feel happy. If you need to then take meds and sleep it off. Once you are through this bout of glutening it's time to stand up and figure out what comes next. Priority #1 is finding ways to love life again. This is a great time to learn how to cook and bake. All your favourite foods are still out there, you just need to find ways to make them accessible to you. I bought a deep fryer so I can still have fries, tempura, chicken wings and calamari. I was not about to live without my favourites. I bake almost every day and am slowly building a recipe book full of great gluten free cakes and cookies and treats. It makes me happy.

You said you had wedding savings? So you must have a loving and supportive fiance. Enlist his help. Now is the best time for him to step up and prove to you that he is the man you want beside you for the rest of your life. If he can't do that then walk away. You need a solid partner in this journey. Someone who will happily eat gluten free for you and take care of you when you are sick.

So hang in there, it's hard and frustrating and infuriating but you can do it. You deserve to be happy so make it happen.

Ah ok I have a fully gluten free kitchen. I've been vegan since 1980 apart from a few eggs in pregnancy in 2002 as well We are fully gluten free ourselves and my mum is on her way to being gluten free too (only her bread isn't) and my brother is becoming gluten free for my daughter to be able to go there safely

For sure, I'm not disputing that they would be safe but if I was at a fundraiser and saw a stranger selling gluten free goodies I wouldn't buy them. All I'm saying is that if I don't know you personally and trust you completely then I wouldn't buy the cupcakes so I'm guessing that most of the niche market that would want or need gluten free cupcakes might also be wary of purchasing them.

I don't think the price is bad at all but I still wouldn't buy them because I couldn't be sure that they were safe for me.

The only baked goods I eat are the ones I make myself, the ones that come from known gluten free manufacturers (like Udi's) or very occasionally something from one of the 2 dedicated gluten free bakeries within a 3 hour drive. I have a friend who is always trying to give me gluten free goodies but I finally had to sit her down and say "Thanks but please stop, I love you but I don't let people cook for me in their homes."

How about eggs? I am finding that corn is a major problem for me, and of course chicken feed is corn. Please don't ell me I have to give up eggs! I started getting better, then ate corn and got sick again. That seemed to trigger something, because now I can't even eat Udi's because of the corn starch in it. If I'm super sensitive to corn, do you think I should avoid eggs too?

Laying hens don't eat much if any corn. It makes them fat and doesn't have enough protein to induce laying. And even if they did it shouldn't come through the egg otherwise none of us could eat eggs because laying pellets are almost 100% gluten grains.

Chickens shouldn't eat soy. The main issue we have is feeding the chickens and rabbits. A sensitive person just couldn't do it, and even if they can't feel it, a celiac shouldn't. maybe gloves and a mask and careful washing up?

I feed our chickens and I hate it. I switched them from mash to pellets to cut down on the dust but it's still a "hold my breath, act quick, scrub up after" job. The lady at the feed store looked at me like I was crazy when I asked her if it was possible to feed laying hens gluten free.

Do some research! Search something like "gluten free menu (your zip code)" into Google, or go onto your favorite restaurant's website and peruse the menu. If you like salads, you'll always be able to find something, just be sure to order a hearty one without croutons and a simple dressing, or even just tossed with olive oil or a touch of honey. Call up some local restaurants and see if they have a gluten free menu.

Also, I would suggest getting a card. I have one from the Gluten Intolerance Group that lists the foods that are not okay, and it always settles any issues with the chef. It's really, really rude to bring food with you, and I'm sure if you talk with the manager/chef ahead of time, they'll be able to come up with something.

Whenever you go out to eat, even if there is a gluten-free menu or gluten-free options, there is always a chance of cross-contamination, just because there's no way to ensure that the area and tools that they used to prepare your meal are entirely free of any and all gluten. If they take the proper precautions, your meal will be gluten-free, and any contamination will be minimal. If you don't make a habit of eating glutenous foods, you shouldn't encounter health problems with a small amount of gluten from cross contamination

I'm not even sure where to start here. I am going to try to be polite.

1. It is not "really, really rude" to bring food with you if the food available is dangerous. There is nothing wrong with ordering a drink and then nibbling on a Lara bar or some crackers and cheese while everyone else eats. Nobody is suggesting she lay out a picnic blanket and an 8 course meal. You should think carefully before you suggest that this young woman makes herself sick just to conform to someone else's idea of good manners.

2. This statement.."If you don't make a habit of eating glutenous foods, you shouldn't encounter health problems with a small amount of gluten from cross contamination " You could not possibly be more wrong. A small amount of gluten from cross contamination results in WEEKS of pain for me. The digestive upset only lasts a day but the back pain from even an invisible amount of gluten can take up to a month to go away for me. Not to mention the damage it is doing on the inside.

I wouldn't do a gluten challenge. I would request blood work to check for growth hormone levels and x-rays to ensure that the growth plates are developing properly.

Keep in mind that the tests can be wrong. We had the growth hormone and growth plate testing done when my oldest was 7 and was the size of a 4 year old. At that time we were told that his blood work and xrays were okay but we should only expect his adult height to be about 5'3".

He turns 16 next month and he's 5'9" and still growing. He was just a really, really late bloomer.

I buy Cocoa Camino bars. Organic, Fair Trade, not ridiculously expensive and so far I haven't come across a flavour with gluten. I like Orange the best.

My go to breakfast is usally Udi bread and pnut butter with some fruit

Me too. Udi's bread, toasted with butter and peanut butter and a cup of tea.

I have 3 bio children and 2 Vietnamese girls who live with us 10 months a year and go home to their Vietnamese family in July and August.

I wanted to have my 3 kids tested for celiac before the whole house went gluten free but my doctor didn't want to do it, she refuses to acknowledge my celiac despite the strong family history (my Father, my maternal grandfather and my mom are all celiac or at least gluten intolerant, my mom never had a biopsy). I tried to do a gluten challenge to get tested but was so violently ill half way through the first day that I couldn't continue so I have no "official" illness.

So we went ahead and made the house gluten free without testing the kids, it would have taken months to get a referral to a pediatrician and I was constantly getting glutened so I couldn't wait that long.

I was sure that my oldest and youngest were gluten intolerant but also sure that my middle son was fine. Boy was I wrong!

The oldest and youngest have had no change on the gluten free diet. My oldest is still an insomniac and my youngest still eats dirt. Her pica is getting better but I've also been cooking on cast iron for her every day.

My middle son who I thought was fine is a totally different kid. He is 6 now and has always been difficult to handle. Near the end of the year he was referred for evaluation by his school to see if he was autistic or if anyone could figure out why he was so unable to control his emotions.

2 weeks into being gluten-free he is calm for the first time in his life. He doesn't lose his temper, he is able to deal with disappointments and unexpected schedule changes, he's quieter and nicer to be around. It's amazing. He's sitting on the couch watching TV with his little sister right now (she's 2) and nobody is crying. They always fight but they've just been getting along so well lately. I love it.

Yesterday we had to leave a moms' group outing at a local cheese farm because all the other kids were getting ice cream cones and my 2 year old was getting really upset that we couldn't have ice cream too. Surprisingly my 6 year old was the one who gave her a hug, calmed her down and convinced her that it was okay to go home because mommy would give us ice cream there. Normally I would have been literally carrying them both kicking and screaming to the car.

Yay!

Another one here who doesn't allow gluten in my home or even in my backyard. The downstairs suite where our 3 teenagers live is allowed gluten but they have to rinse their mouths and wash their hands before they come upstairs and I almost never go down there at all. (We own an up/down duplex, upstairs is where myself, DH and the little kids live and that part of the house is 100% gluten free).

I don't even want my backyard contaminated. The little kids eat 100% gluten free at home and away from the home because I got tired of them making me sick with kisses and cuddles. My hubby eats 100% gluten free at home and if he eats gluten while he's out he is very careful to wash up before he has any contact with me. If we eat out together he eats gluten free so we can share and he can still kiss me.

I would not take a board game over to a friend's house to play and nobody would be eating gluten in my home because I don't want my things to be contaminated.

If my son has friends over and they want to play video games or watch a movie on the big TV upstairs while we are out I clean the living room and computer area thoroughly when we get home just in case they were sneaking gluten upstairs or didn't wash up before using my computer, remote or game controllers.

Maybe I'm being over vigilant but my time and my health are important and this is just how life needs to be around here to keep mama healthy.

I never thought about it, but I think they are supposed to have an ingredient list. At all the fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Jack in the Box etc.) they have a big board up on the wall. I think this is also for health people looking into their caloric intake. It's funny, but I am like a local at one or two of the Starbucks here in Temecula and also one of the Jamba Juice places. The people know me and know what I can have. I went to Jamba Juice and they had a book of all their drinks listing ingredients for each one (plus the calories). I found that I cannot have the brown sugar crumble for the oatmeal since it has flour in the crumble. They now know this and do not include it in my oatmeal order. I ordered a rice crispy treat from Starbucks one time and they girl saw that it had been resting against a banana bread and replaced it with one that was "clean". If you find the right people, they are very concious and helpful in these regards.

Later,

Ray

Um. The rice krispie treats and oatmeal aren't safe. Rice Krispies have barley malt in them and unless the oats they are using at Jamba Juice are certified gluten free (highly unlikely) the oatmeal is not safe either.

Repeat after me:

"I'm sorry, but our daughter's medical needs mean that you will have to come and visit her here in our home. Let us know when is convenient for you and please don't bring any food."

If she argues, just keep saying it. You have the right, no... the obligation to say no. She is your daughter and you must keep her safe.

So I went into a Starbucks today at a quiet time and asked the manager if it would be possible to see the ingredients list for the frappuccinos. It was a crazy hot day and I was jonesing for a Frappe.

He flat out refused to show or tell me anything. He said other than fat/calories he wouldn't give me any nutritional information.

Is this company policy now? I usually get the Passion Lemonade Iced Tea but I was angry so I just left.

Thanks for nothing Starbucks.

Some people cannot handle the restrictions of the diet, go ahead and cross contaminate themselves on a daily basis, then indulge in fuzzy thinking and denial. Right after they say something like "have no reactions whatsoever" they will then be telling you all about their intractable, persistent mystery symptom that is a direct result of ......celiac auto immune reaction.

I have a friend at knitting like that. She tells me all the time that she doesn't have to be as careful as I am because she isn't as sensitive and then proceeds to talk about how miserable she is all the time. I've just started smiling and nodding because nothing I said was sinking in.